The two things keeping me from entering Carmel is the sale of my house and some debt of about $7,000. I have a buyer who is starting the finalization process of the sale – so many prayers please that he doesn’t back out last minute or change his mind, etc.! I could be free from the house in a few weeks? (not sure how long a house sale with a title company and whatever else is included takes!). Then the few weeks to give away, sell and/or throw out belongings from the house (clothes, furniture, personal items and the rest).

The nun’s choir side of the chapel.

What remains is the debt. Due to the real estate market, my area and other considerations, we aren’t getting much for the house – about $4,000 extra (after paying off the mortgage) and I am afraid to see how much of our share of the closing costs will eat this up! The buyer is paying all cash so I hear it makes the closing cheaper?, but I am not sure about this. So the $7,000 or so is still around my neck.

Whatever I get extra from the house sale goes towards this debt and then I am hoping to sell my car for a few thousand or so (probably very few!) and the sale of other things to make up the difference. I was recently laid off work and am looking for more work now so THIS doesn’t help me! I am working part-time at one place but this is not overly helpful. Having no job is fine if all I had as the house to sell as then I could fly off to Carmel after the house closing was done. Of course, I have to raise the airfare to England also!

Entrance enclosure door to the monastery. When will they open for me?!

I pray that any and all who read this – anyone else they know – could help me out is some way with donations to help pay off this debt. I am so thankful I am not like many who have student loans and have over $20,000 in debt but many are helped by wonderful places like the Laboure Society and Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations who do wonderful work and help many vocations with debt, but they only help pay off student loans and not other debt like my own. So I am lucky not to have such large amount owed but theses two organizations help vocation discerners and pay off this amount and more! It is strange how larger amounts are more easily paid sometimes than smaller ones! On the right hand side of this blog, are two sections called “Facebook Pages” and “Fellow Vocation Discerners” who, like me, have blogs and/or Facebook pages who need student loan relief and ask donations too.

Perhaps there isn’t a “vocation crisis” as much as a “debt crisis” that keeps men and women from the seminary to be priests and consecrated religious! I know many personally and have read of so many, many more people with this debt problem who long to follow their call, like myself, to give their selves and lives to God for His glory, the church and for souls who can’t due to various debt.

May God reward any and all who benefactors who donate to myself and others to help us Our Lord’s call of “Come follow me”. These benefactors will have someone – in my case, a Carmelite nun – who is enclosed “in the Garden of God (what the word “Carmel” means), praying and living in the presence of God day and night interceding for souls and praying, sacrificing and doing penance for them, their families and intentions and for peace in the world and that the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary may reign in all hearts and over all the earth!

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Child Jesus have mercy for us!

May the Child Jesus bless all of you and hold you in His Little Sacred Heart may Our Lady keep you safe under her mantle. I pray for all my readers and thank any and all who can help me by donating and please ask to pass this blog along to anyone who they think would like to read it and help me on my way to Carmel by donating and by helping others by donating on their blogs (listed at the right side).